Septic Tanks and Sewage Systems

Main Number

Septic Tanks and Sewage Systems

An estimated 2.3 million onsite sewage treatment and disposal systems (OSTDS) serve 31% of Florida residents and visitors. These systems discharge over 426 million gallons of treated effluent per day into the subsurface soil environment.

A person may not construct, repair, modify, abandon or operate an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system without first obtaining a permit approved by the Miami Dade County Health Department.
The OSTDS program is responsible for performing application reviews, conducting site evaluations, issuing permits, conducting inspections and complaint investigations associated with the construction, installation, repairs, abandonment of an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system for domestic sewage flow less than 10,000 gallons per day and commercial sewage waste not exceeding 5,000 gallons per day.
The OSTDS fulfills the mission of the Miami-Dade County Health department in ensuring that all systems regulated by the Department are sized, designed, constructed, repaired, modified and maintained properly in order to prevent groundwater contamination, surface water contamination and to preserve the public health.
The Department also permits and inspects all waste haulers, portable toilets companies, septic tank manufactures.
The Department created good partnership with the Miami-Dade County Building Department and all municipalities in Miami-Dade County to ensure that no building permit is issued where the property is to serve by a Septic tank system until a permit is obtained with the Health Department. In addition, a certificate of occupancy is not issued until there is evidence that the system has received final construction approval from the department.
Where a project does not meet our requirements, the applicant has the rights to apply for a variance.
For variances meetings and dates, all downloadable forms. Please refer to the state web site: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/